Contractable shoulder arm with rifle and shotgun unit



A. J. LIZZA March; 10, 1964 CONTRACTABLE SHOULDER ARM WITH RIFLE ANDSHOTGUN UNIT 2 Sheets-Sheet l Filed Dec.

INVENTOR. I Alba-r1 J LIZZIL I BY g 7 0am1 9 afl w March 10, 1964 A. J.LIZZA 3,123,928

CONTRACTABLE SHOULDER ARM WITH RIFLE AND SHOTGUN UNIT Filed Dec. 13,1961 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INV EN TOR.

A1]: E :1 lLi ZZEL BY United States Patent M 3,1239% CONTRACTABLESHttULDER ARM WITH LE AND SHOTGUN UNIT Albert J. Lima, 14 Linwood Drive,North Wilbraham, Mass., assignor to the United States of America asrepresented by the Secretary of the Army Filed Dec. 13, 1961, Ser. No.159,191 2 Claims. (Cl. 42--72) (Granted under Title 35, US. Code(1.952), sec. 266) The invention described herein may be manufacturedand used by or for the Government for governmental purposes without thepayment of any royalty thereon.

This invention relates to firearms and more particularly to shoulderarms which are contractable either by telescopic or folding means to asmall size.

In modern-type warfare there is a need for firearms which have thecapabilities of shoulder arms but which may be carried as a small,compact package for inclusion in survival kits and for use byparatroopers and in guerrilla warfare where the conventional shoulderarm would be burdensome and hindersome.

It is, therefore, the object of this invention to provide a shoulder armwhich includes a rifle unit with a rifled barrel of suflicient length tobe reasonably accurate in use at long ranges and a shotgun unit with ashort firing tube for infighting, with the firearm being contractableinto a small-size package by having the stock telescopically mounted inthe receiver and the front portion of the rifle barrel and the shotgunfiring tube foldable relative thereto.

The specific nature of the invention as well as other objects andadvantages thereof will clearly appear from a description of a preferredembodiment as shown in the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is an elevational view of the shoulder arm ready for firing;

FIG. 2 is an elevational view of the shoulder arm contracted;

FIG. 3 is a View taken along line 3-3 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a fragmentary, longitudinally, cross-sectioned view of thefront portion of the receiver where the rifle barrel is separablymounted and the front end thereof is joined to the shotgun firing tubefor pivotal displacement relative to the receiver with the barrel andfiring tube in position for firing;

FIG. 5 is a View similar to FIG. 4 but showing the front section of thebarrel and the firing tube partially pivoted away from the firingposition; and

FIG. 6 is a view taken along line 66 of FIG. 5.

Shown in the figures is a shoulder arm 12 having a rifle unit 13 with arifled barrel 14 and a shotgun unit 15 with a firing tube 16, whichbarrel and firing tube are supported by a receiver 18. Receiver 18 alsosupports a conventional, shotgun pump-action 2% for successivelytransferring a plurality of shells 22 from a magazine 24 into the rearend of firing tube 16 and ejecting the fired shells out of an ejectionport 26 in the right side of the receiver. The shells 22 are dischargedby a firing mechanism (not shown) by means of a trigger 28.

Receiver 18 also incloses a single shot action for the rifle unit whichaction includes a hand-cocked hammer 39 and a pivotal breechblock 32 foropening and closing the breech end of barrel 14 to permit the loadingand the ejection of a cartridge (not shown) into the chamber of thebarrel. A selector 38 mounted on the side of receiver 15 permits theselective discharge of the rifle or the shotgun unit by trigger 28through conventional linkage means.

Shoulder arm 12 is supported for firing by means of a pistol grip 40depending from receiver 18 rearwardly of trigger 28 and a telescopicstock 42. Stock 42 includes a shoulder piece 44 and a pair of laterallyspaced, support- 3,123,928 Patented Mar. 19, 1964 ing braces 46 whichare slidingly received by mating channels 48 formed in the sides ofreceiver 18. Ejection port 26 is formed in the right one of the channels48 and the right one of the braces 5-6 is arranged to cover the ejectionport when stock 42 is telescoped into receiver 18 and so provides a dustcover for the ejection port as seen in FIG. 2. Stock 42 is releasablysecured in the extended position by conventional latching means asrepresented by latch 50.

Barrel 14 is separable into a front section 52 and a rear section 54.Rear section 54 is positioned vertically above receiver 18 and issecured thereto by a breech housing 56 which extends upwardly from therear end of the receiver and a mount 58 integrally formed at the frontend thereof. The breech end of rear section 54 is secured to breechhousing 56 by conventional locking means (not shown) so as to be heldagainst rotational and longitudinal displacement at a predeterminedposition. The front end of rear section 54 is received by a mating bore59 which extends longitudinally through mount 58.

Bore 59 is interrupted by a lateral slot 66 which receives a knurled nut62. Nut 62 is journaled on the front portion of rear section 54 and isprevented from longitudinal displacement by the contact thereof with thefront and rear sides of the slot. Mount 58 also includes a pair ofdepending and laterally spaced lips 64 which are provided with laterallyaligned holes 66 for receiving a pin 74 as by press fit.

Front section 52 of barrel 14 and tube 16 are fixedly mounted togetherby means of a rear bracket 68 and a front support 79 to form a frontunit 71. Bracket 68 is provided with a depending L-shaped flange 72having a longitudinally elongated hole 73 which slidingly receives pin74, whereby bracket 68 is pivotally supported by mount 58 and is alsopermitted longitudinal displacement relative thereto. When bracket 68 isupwardly disposed and is displaced rearwardly on pin 74, it is receivedby a mating recess 76 in the front end of mount 58.

The rear portion of front section 52 is provided with a threaded section78 which extends rearwardly from an integral hexagonal flange 86 and isengageable with a threaded aperture 82 in bracket 68. Flange providesmeans for turning front section 52 by wrench means and is contactablewith the front of bracket 68 for locating front section 52longitudinally relative thereto. The threads of threaded section 7 8 arequalified relative to the riding in front section 52 and rear section54, when in the locked position, so that, when the front section isdrawn up to where flange 86 crushes against bracket 68 and qualifyingmarks 34 on the flange and bracket align, the rifling in the front andrear sections are in alignment.

The end of threaded section 78 is arranged to extend from bracket 68 sothat such extension 86 is engageable by nut 62 to draw front section 52rearwardly against mount 5% and so ready shoulder arm 12 for firing.

The rear end of front section 52 is counterbored at 88 to an annularshoulder 9% and the front end of rear section 54 is reduced in diameterto form a tongue 92 which is matingly received by counterbore 88, whenfront section 52 and rear section 54 are drawn together, to provide astrong and gas tight joint therebetween.

Firing tube 16 is fixedly mounted to bracket 68 similar to front section52 and is arranged so that the breech end extends past the bracket forprojection into receiver 18 so as to receive shells 22 chambered bypump-action 20. The front ends of firing tube 16 and front section 52are fixed to front support ill as by press engagement with mating holesprovided therein. When front unit 71 is folded under receiver 18, themuzzle ends of front section 52 and firing tube 16 are received by handgrip 40, which is hollow formed, through an opening 94 which extendsalong the bottom and front side thereof. A latch 96 releasably holdsfront section 52 and firing tube 16 in the folded position.

Thus, shoulder arm 12 may be contained in a small package when stock 42is telescoped into receiver 18 and front unit 7]. is folded thereunder.When shoulder arm 12 is to be used, stock 42 is extended and front unit71 is unfolded and swung up to where threaded section 78 contacts nut62. Nut 62 is then turned to threadingly engage threaded section 78 anddraw front unit 71 rearwardly with tongue 92 entering counterboreportion 88 and the breech end of firing tube 16 entering receiver 13.The longitudinal displacement of front unit 71 into solid contact withmount 58 is possible through the longitudinal elongation of hole 73.When nut 62 is tightened, front section 52 and rear section 54 aresolidly joined to complete barrel 14 and firing tube 16 is in positionfor firing. When shoulder arm 12 is to be contracted, the abovementionedsteps are reversed.

From the foregoing it is clearly apparent that there is provided hereina shoulder arm which successfully combines a rifle unit with a shotgununit and which is contractable to a small size.

Although a particular embodiment of the invention has been described indetail herein, it is evident that many variations may be devised withinthe spirit and scope thereof and the following claims are intended toinclude such variations.

I claim:

1. A contractable shoulder arm includinga receiver, an ejection port insaid receiver, a rifle barrel mounted over, said receiver so as toextend forwardly therefrom, a shotgun firing tube mounted in saidreceiver so as to extend forwardly therefrom, means for contracting theshoulder arm at the front end of said receiver, a stock, and means fortelescopically mounting said stock in said receiver, said meansincluding a pair of supporting braces one of which is arranged to coversaid ejection port when said stock is telescoped in said receiver.

2. A contractable shoulder arm including a receiver, a separable riflebarrel including a rear section mounted on said receiver and a frontsection extending forwardly therefrom when joined to said rear section,a shotgun firing tube, means for mounting said front section and saidfiring tube together and to said receiver so as to be foldable togetherthereunder, said means including a mount on the front end of saidreceiver, a longitudinal bore provided in said mount for receiving thefront end of said rear section, a lateral slot formed in said mount soas to interrupt said bore, a nut journaled on the front end of said rearsection in said slot, a bracket for mounting the rear ends of said frontsection and said firing tube, means for hingediy mounting said bracketto said mount for pivotal and longitudinal displacement so as to bringsaid front section into alignment with said rear section when swung fromthe position where folded under said receiver, a threaded section formedon the rear end of said front section arranged for threaded engagementwith said bracket and to form an extended portion projecting therefromfor engagement with said nut to draw said front section and rear sectiontogether, a counterbore formed in the rear end of said front section anda concentric tongue formed on the front end of said rear section so asto project into said counterbore to form a strong and gas-tight jointthereoetween when said front and rear sections are drawn together, astock, and means for telescopically mounting said stock to saidreceiver.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS570,145 Pittavino Oct. 27, 1896 652,583 Baird June 26, 1900 2,200,780Schmeisser May 14, 1940

1. A CONTRACTABLE SHOULDER ARM INCLUDING A RECEIVER, AN EJECTION PORT INSAID RECEIVER, A RIFLE BARREL MOUNTED OVER SAID RECEIVER SO AS TO EXTENDFORWARDLY THEREFROM, A SHOTGUN FIRING TUBE MOUNTED IN SAID RECEIVER SOAS TO EXTEND FORWARDLY THEREFROM, MEANS FOR CONTRACTING THE SHOULDER ARMAT THE FRONT END OF SAID RECEIVER, A STOCK, AND MEANS FOR TELESCOPICALLYMOUNTING SAID STOCK IN SAID RECEIVER, SAID MEANS INCLUDING A PAIR OFSUPPORTING BRACES ONE OF WHICH IS ARRANGED TO COVER SAID EJECTION PORTWHEN SAID STOCK IS TELESCOPED IN SAID RECEIVER.